Bryant Cottage State Historic Site - Bement, Illinois

Bryant Cottage State Historic Site - Bement, Illinois
The Bryant Cottage State Historic Site is a simple, 1856 four-room house showing pioneer architecture and as a key historic site in the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Bryant Cottage was built by Bement businessman Francis Bryant in 1856. The cottage is tastefully appointed with period furnishings throughout each of the warm and charming rooms. During December, Bryant Cottage hosts a Holiday Candlelight Open House on the second Sunday of December.

Legend has it that Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas met at this very site in Bement to discuss the format for the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858. Douglas was known to have been a close associate of Francis Bryant of Bement.

Tickets/Admission Info:
Bryant Cottage State Historic Site is open daily 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. from March through October; 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. from November through February.

Suggested donation: Adults $2, Children $1. The site is closed New Year’s, Martin Luther King, Jr., Presidents, Veterans, General Election, Thanksgiving, and Christmas days.

Groups of 20 or more must have a reservation. Bryant Cottage is handicapped accessible.

Location: 146 E. Wilson St., Bement

Phone: (217) 678-8184